Abstract: A column fixing device for frost prevention machine includes a frost prevention machine, a connecting support, a pedestal, and pedestal bolt. The connecting support is composed of an anti-tilting guide barrel, a fixed pillar, a rib plate, and a connecting plate. The pedestal is composed of pedestal plates spliced to each other, and adjacent pedestal plates are connected via double-end studs. The pedestal bolt is used for fixedly connecting the connecting support with the pedestal. The pedestal is hit into soil to fix the pedestal, and then the frost prevention machine is fixed through the pedestal and the connecting support so as to overcome the difficulty and low efficiency of digging small-diameter installation deep holes required for high precision.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for laser-assisted machining (LAM) of non-monolithic composite bone material is described. A high intensity focused laser beam conducts bone material removal in extremely short time duration without causing any thermal (necrosis) and mechanical damage to the material surrounding the bone-laser interaction region. A computer associated with the apparatus for machining bone preferably employs a Multiphysics computational modeling approach which takes into account physical phenomena such as heat transfer, fluid flow, convection mixing, and surface tension when determining bone target volume, calculating material properties of the multicomponent and multicomposition composite bone material, determining parameters for the laser-assisted machining based on the material properties, and performing the laser-assisted cutting/shaping/machining of bone.

Abstract: A method of assisting a heart for the operation of a ventricular assist device comprising the steps of implanting a cannula to the heart and deploying a stent within a left ventricle, a right ventricle, a left atrium, or a right atrium of the heart. The stent may be transferable from a first compact configuration to a second open configuration to facilitate implantation. The stent may also have a flared distal end to assist with alignment, positioning, and prevent outgrowth.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing an in vitro model for blood-brain barrier, including (a) a culturing conditionally immortalized astrocytes on one surface of a porous membrane and culturing conditionally immortalized brain pericytes on the other surface of the porous membrane, until both of the cells become a sheet; (b) culturing conditionally immortalized brain microvascular endothelial cells in a culture vessel, until the cells become a sheet; (c) peeling off the sheet of conditionally immortalized brain microvascular endothelial cells; (d) allowing the sheet of conditionally immortalized brain microvascular endothelial cells to come into contact with the sheet of conditionally immortalized brain pericytes, so that the sheets are arranged in layers; and (e) co-culturing a cell culture comprising three layers consisting of the sheet of conditionally immortalized brain microvascular endothelial cells, the sheet of conditionally immortalized brain pericytes, and the sheet of conditionally immortalized astro

Abstract: A submerged wave energy conversion apparatus and pressurized fluid or electricity production system are provided that harvests energy from a motive force derived from pressure differentials created by the interaction of the system with ocean water. The system is capable of capturing energy from up to six different modes of motion of the absorber body in response to the energy of incident waves. The apparatus has an absorber body that is attached to one or more damping mechanisms like a hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic circuit that can create useful mechanical torque, a restoring mechanism such as an air spring to restore the absorber system to stable equilibrium, and a buoyant artificial floor to create an opposing reaction force. The apparatus may also have a controller for system monitoring and control, to maintain optimized energy extraction, and for load management to avoid damaging loads.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and materials for pyrolyzing vegetable oil feedstocks to obtain high yields of various products are described.

Abstract: The invention provides a polymer comprising two or more residues of formula III or IV or salts thereof: wherein dash line, X, Y, Q, L, M, n, R1, R2, Ra, Rb, Rc and Rd have any of the values defined in the specification, as well as synthetic intermediates and synthetic methods useful for preparing the compounds. The polymer is useful to treat contaminated water by chelating metal.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to a method for retrieving at least one molecular recognition element in a fixed tissue. In some embodiments the method comprises preparing a solution comprising at least one aldehyde-scavenging agent. In some embodiments, the method comprises contacting the fixed tissue with the solution. In some embodiments, the tissue is fixed with an aldehyde-based cross-linking agent. In some embodiments, a reaction of the aldehyde-scavenging agent with the aldehydes comprising the cross-linking agent retrieves the at least one molecular recognition element. In some embodiments, the at least one molecular recognition element comprises of amino acids, peptides, proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-implemented method of determining characteristics of enzyme catalysis, comprising receiving, from a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) instrument, SPR data indicative of binding of anenzyme and a substrate, and determining one or more characteristics of the enzyme catalysis based on a multi-centre particle density (MPD) model and the SPR data.

Abstract: Compositions and methods are provided for modifying diagnosing and treating inflammatory disease. The methods and compositions can be used to ameliorate the effects of a deficiency in the LAP pathway for clearing dead cells. Thus, methods are further provided for modulating dead cell clearance using an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition that targets the LAP pathway. Accordingly, pharmaceutical compositions that target the LAP pathway re provided herein. The methods and compositions described herein can be used to treat inflammatory disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Abstract: Disclosed are ROS-sensitive NOS inhibitors, as well as methods of making and using the same.

Abstract: An image signal decoding method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: decoding information indicating whether a current block is encoded using a multi-mode intra prediction; when it is determined that the current block is encoded in the multi-mode intra prediction, dividing the current block into a plurality of partial blocks; and obtaining an intra prediction mode of each of the plurality of partial blocks.

Abstract: A management method for objects supply and a management system using the same are provided. The management method is adapted to an object-supply network model including a start point, an end point, multiple sub-points and multiple sub-routes, and includes following steps: obtaining a plurality of object states and corresponding probability distributions of each supply sub-route and connection relationships among the supply sub-routes; listing a plurality of object supply routes corresponding to each of the object states, and calculating supply route reliability values of the respective object supply routes by a network reliability algorithm; and, managing the input objects and output objects according to the object supply route with the maximum supply route reliability value.

Abstract: Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) compounds, and methods of using the same for treating bone fractures, treating osteoporosis and/or metabolic bone diseases, and inducing osteogenesis and/or chondrogenesis, are disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is an artificial trachea comprising: a hollow tubular base material whose cross-section in a direction orthogonal to the central axis of the tube has an approximately circular shape.

Abstract: Various embodiments of systems and methods for collision-free trajectory planning in human-robot interaction through hand movement prediction from vision are disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for monitoring one or more of cerebral oxygenation and total hemoglobin concentration that can be used to perform accurate, noninvasive measurement of cerebral venous blood oxygen saturation (oxygenation) in neonatal patients. A neonatal cerebral oxygenation detection apparatus comprises a wearable support having a light emitter and an acoustic sensor coupled thereto. The wearable support can be secured onto a head of an infant, and the light emitter can be configured to emit a light toward a superior sagittal sinus of the infant's head. The acoustic sensor can be configured to detect acoustic pressure generated by blood in the superior sagittal sinus when the superior sagittal sinus blood absorbs the light. Cerebral oxygenation and/or total hemoglobin concentration can be determined based on the acoustic pressure detected by the acoustic detector.

Abstract: The invention provides methods of enriching and isolating novel microbial organisms, such as rhizobacteria, that promote the growth of plants by recreating the rhizosphere in a laboratory setting. The methods of the invention can be used to produce and characterize beneficial microbes grown at the root-soil interface and provide a technique for selectively enriching bacteria that live in close association with plants and foster the growth thereof.

Abstract: Methods of making novel organic compounds containing a twisted aryl group are provided. In particular, the compounds provided contain a 2-phenylpyridine ligand having a twisted aryl group on the pyridine portion of the ligand. The compounds may be used in organic light emitting devices, particularly as emitting dopants. Devices comprising the compounds containing twisted aryl may demonstrate improved color, efficiency, stability and manufacturing.

Abstract: Provided is a multimeric peptide comprising at least two peptide monomers linked to one another, each of the at least two peptide monomers comprising at least 6 consecutive amino acids from the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, wherein the at least two peptide monomers are each no longer than 30 amino acids, wherein the multimeric peptide is capable of reducing binding of Placenta Immunomodulatory Factor (PLIF) to human leukocytes.